Ontario Nature report says Greenbelt is a refuge for species at risk

Thunder Bay – Climate – A new Ontario Nature report released on World Biodiversity Day says Ontario’s Greenbelt has become an increasingly important safe haven for vulnerable wildlife and plants, with 121 species at risk now found within its boundaries. While the Greenbelt is centred in southern Ontario, the report carries broader lessons for Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, where wetlands, forests, shorelines and wildlife corridors are under growing pressure from climate change, development and resource activity.
Species-at-risk numbers rise sharply in the Greenbelt

The report, Species at Risk in the Greenbelt: Successes, Challenges and Opportunities, says the number of species at risk living in the Greenbelt has increased by 68 per cent since 2004, rising from 72 to 121 species. Ontario Nature says that compares with a 50 per cent increase across Ontario as a whole, where the number of listed species rose from 180 in 2004 to 270 in 2025.

Those 121 species represent 42 per cent of all species at risk in Ontario. They include rare birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and plants. Ontario Nature says the hooded warbler is showing signs of recovery in protected habitat, while species such as the redside dace and Jefferson salamander continue to struggle with habitat fragmentation, pollution and damage to breeding and feeding areas.

Greenbelt protection also supports climate resilience

Ontario Nature says Greenbelt forests, wetlands and rivers do more than protect wildlife. They help filter air, protect water quality and reduce flood risk by keeping natural systems intact. That matters as communities across Ontario face heavier rain events, heat stress and growing pressure on built infrastructure.

Jenna Quinn, Ontario Nature’s acting conservation science and stewardship director, said the Greenbelt shows what is possible “when nature is given space to breathe,” but added that habitat protection alone is not enough without direct recovery action for species at risk.

Why this matters in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario

The Greenbelt is hundreds of kilometres from Thunder Bay, but the policy question is familiar: how to protect habitat while communities grow, roads expand and industries depend on land and water access. In Northwestern Ontario, conservation debates often focus on boreal forest health, wetlands, mining access roads, forestry, hydro corridors, shoreline development and species such as boreal caribou.

Ontario lists the boreal caribou population as a species at risk, and Ontario Nature says forest fragmentation linked to resource extraction and access roads is a major threat to caribou survival in the province’s managed forests. That makes the Greenbelt report relevant beyond southern Ontario: it reinforces the importance of connected habitat, not just isolated protected areas.

A 20-year land-use policy under renewed attention

Ontario’s Greenbelt was established on Feb. 28, 2005, and now spans more than two million acres of protected farmland, forests, wetlands, rivers and lakes in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

The Greenbelt marked its 20th anniversary in 2025.

Ontario Nature’s Tony Morris said the Greenbelt is not only a buffer against urban sprawl, but also a refuge for species that have lost habitat elsewhere in southern Ontario. The organization is calling for the Greenbelt to be protected, strengthened and expanded.

Local takeaway: habitat protection is climate policy

For Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, the report points to a larger climate lesson. Wetlands, forests, river systems and intact shorelines are natural infrastructure. They store carbon, slow flooding, protect drinking water sources, support fish and wildlife, and help communities adapt to a changing climate.

World Biodiversity Day’s 2026 theme is “Acting locally for global impact.”

For Northern Ontario, that means local land-use decisions — from urban development to road building to resource projects — can have long-term consequences for species, watersheds and climate resilience.